Door-operating mechanism.



' 'Ff SEABERG. DOOR OPERATING MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED EPTQw, 1908. z

f Patented Aug. 15, 1911 2 SHEBTS*SHBEVT 1i.

F. SBABBRG.

DOOR OPERATING MEOBANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1008. 1,000,443. Patented Aug. 15, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W m. W

Unire.

STATESJPATENT OFFICE# rimiinmeit` SEABERG, or CHICAGO, ILLI'NoIs, Assienon To NATioNAL DUMP CAR COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DOOR-OPERTIN MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK SnAniiRG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of I Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Operating Mechanism, of which'the folloiiiingis a specifica'- tion.

The object of myn invention is to provide simple and efficient means for operating the dump doors of railway cars, and the application of my invention is described and' illustrated in connection with a gondola car having its bottom substantially wholly coinposed of 'drop doors, and adapted for use either as a general service gondola car or as a dump cai.

In the drawings- Figure l is a cross section of a car embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of a car near the end, and F ig. 3 is a view of the end of a car showing the means for rotating the shaft.

The invention may be applied to cars vari-l ously constructed.A In the car illustrated in the drawings, the underframe comprises a center sill formed of two channel beams a, (t connected at the top by a coverplate or fioor strip b, and at lthe bottom by a Aplate or plates c, the fioor plate l) projecting beyond the center sill at either side, thus forming an loverhanging tioor strip against the under side of which the doors are adapted to close.` .Extending transversely of the car are cross bearers d in the outer ends of which the operating shafts c are journaled. In the present instance the sides f of the car are reinforced attheir ylovif'erredges by angle irons g,

the horizontal flanges of which project iiiwardly to forni narrow floor strips againstthe under side of which the outer edges of the doors are adapted to close. y obvious, however, that the doors might close directly against the under edge of the car sides and that the entire car might be otherwise constructed, and still have my invention applied thereto.

The doors zare hinged at their inner edges, cach hinge consisting of a pin z' co-aeting with a slot In the present instance the pin is mounted upon the door and the slot formed in the cross bearer, but this 'arrangement might be reversed and the same result attained. Slots j are inclined -up- Wardly from their inner toward their out- Ward ends -and so related to the'iioor level vSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented Allg. 15, 1911. Application filed September 19, 1908. Serial No. 453,820. I

It will Be that when the doors are-raised and drawn outwardly so that the pins z' occupy the outer ends of I against the under surface of the car floor. The inclination of the slots serves to .carry the pins i dowui'vardly sufficiently when the y' .door is thrust inward to permit. the doors to be turned on said pins as an axis without binding against the under surface of the floor. f

Near their outer edges/the doors are pre-ferably provided with downward projections is, and chains Z are connected at one'end to said projections and at the opposite end to the operating shafts Upon the outer edges of the projecting parts/7c, or upon other parts of the outer edge of the door, tapered and roughened surfaces in are formed, and co'- acting roughened surfaces a are formed upon the shafts e.

In cars of theclass described,l fou'i` operat-A ing shafts are usually provided, two extendl ing inwardly from each end of the car to ,the center thereof, and each having chains attached thereto and to three or four doors according to the length of the car and the size of the doors.

Se far as my present invention is concerned, any suitable mechanism may be used for imparting rotation to the operating shafts. In the present instance I have shown a star wheel o secured to the operating shaft c and the operating lever p loosely mounted thereon, the operating lever being provided with a reversible pawl (j, whereby the shaft may be rotated in either direction. Pivoted to the endo'f the car is a deteiit pawl r for the .purpose of holding the shaft against backward rotation between the strokes of the lever when the door is being closed. A

J Referring to the full line open position of y oor It, shown at, the left-hand of Fig. 1, it willbe apparent that when the operating lever p -is manipulated to wind the chain l on the shaft c, the door will be raised. Of ,10U

course, it will `be understood that two chains are preferably connected to each door, one" at either side thereof. After the door `has been raised from the solid line to the dotted line position at the left of' Fig. l, further 105` rotation of tlieshaft e in counter clockwise i direction will draw the door z bodilyoutf ward, causing the pin z' to slide outwardlyr and upwardly in the slot j and causing they t tapered4 and roughened surface m to engage 116' the slot the doors will lie snugly l the roughened surface a on the operating shaft e. By reason of the tapered form of the surface m., the outer edge of the door will be firmly wedged against the under side of the floor, and by reason of the inclined position of thesl'ot j the inner edge of the door' will be Slmilarly brought into close Contact: with the under surface of the floor. Preferably, the cross members s of the car are provided with projecting cover plates t with the under sidesot which the side edges of the door will co-act, as shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the door shown at the righthand of Fig. l, it will be apparent that counter clockwise rotation of the shaft e will, through engagement of the roughened part n of the shaft with the roughened edge 'm of the door, cause the door to slide bodily 'inward to a position corresponding to that shown in dotted lines at the left-hand of Fig. 1. Further rotation of theA shaft e in the .same direction will permit the door to drop to open position. r

By my invention, I provide means for actuating a dump door between open and closed position by a chain, while at the same time relieving thechain from weight when the door is closed and sustaining the contents 'of a ear, this result being attained by utilizing the winding shaft as a side sill and moving the door not only upwardly and downwardly but edgewise into and out of engagement with said sha't't. j ln the p'resent instance the edgewise movement of the door to engage and disengage the winding shaft is permitted by the sliding connection formed by the pin and slot hinge illustrated. The desired result of relieving the winding chains of the weight and ot the contents of a car is attained without the introduction ot any additional or complicated parts, being secured merely by imparting the necessary movement to the dump door. In this way all complicated locking mechanism is dispensed with.

I claim:

l. Tn a car of the class described, a floor provided with a door opening, a door, a pivotal and sliding connection between said ear and door adjacent one edge of said door opening, a support adjacent the opposite edge oi the door opening, and means for moving said door toward said opening and into engagement with said support.

2. ln a car ot' the class described, a Hoor provided with a door opening, a` door, a pin and slot hinge at one edge of said door, a support beneath the floor level and adjacent the edge ol the door opening opposite said hinge, and means for moving said door pivotally-toward said opening andtransversely thereof to carry its free edge over said sup- -.port.

3. Tn a car of the class described, a floor having a door opening, a rotatable shaft mounted adjatent one side of said opening,

a door, 'a pivotal and sliding connection between said door and ear, and means conrating said shaft, and a chain connected at one`end to said shaft and at the other end to said door. l

5. Tn a dump car, a center sill, a floor provided with a door opening, a doorconnected at one edge to said center sill, said connection comprising means whereby said door may move pivotally toward and from said opening and may slide transversely thereof, ,cross beams, a shaft rotatably mounted in said cross beams adjacent the opposite edge ot' said door opening and spaced beneath the lower surface of the tloor,-a flexible connection between said shaft and said door ad jacent its 'tree edge, and means for rotating said shaft.

6. ln a dump car, a floor provided with a door opening, a door mounted adjacent one edge of said opening, means whereby ,aid door is permitted pivotal movement toward and from said opening and a sliding movement transversely thercot'. a rotatable shaft mounted beneath the floor level and adjacent the opposite edge ot' said opening, a flexible connection between said shaft and said door adjacent. its tree edge, said shat't and said door adjacent itsouter edge being rough cned, and means t'or rotating said shaft.

7. ln a dump car, a floor provided willi :i door opening, a doot mounted adjacent one edge ot said opening, means whereby said door has a pivotal movement toward and l'rom .said oj ening and a sliding movement transversely tluzreot', a rotatable shai't mounted beneath and spaced from the lower surface ol'y the lloor .adjacent the` other edge ot' said opening, the outer edge ot said door having an inclined under surface adapted to co-act with said shaft, a flexible connection between said shaft and said door, and means tor rotating said shaft.

8. Tn a (lmnp car, a floor provided with a door opening, a door mounted adjacent one edge of said opening, tween said door and car, said connection be moved pivotally toward and from said opening and may have a sliding movement transversely thereof, said door having a necting said shaft and door, whereby rota-` opening opposite said hinges, means for ro-Y a connection bel comprising means whereby said door mayprovided with a door opening, a door, a pin edge being roughened and tapered.

tapered edge, a rotatable shaft beneath the l floor level adjacent the opposite edge of said opening, a flexible connection between said i shaft and door, and means for rotating said shaft. Y

'9. In a car oi. the class described, a Hoor provided `.Vith a door opening, a door, a pin and slot hinge between said' door and a fixed part of the ear, asupport adjacent the edge et the door opening opposite said hinge, and vmeans for moving said door toward and from said door opening and transversely thereof above said support.

y In a dump car, a floor provided with a door opening, a door, a pin and slot hinge between said door and a fixed part of the car, a rotatable shaft beneath the ltloor level and adjacent the edge of said door opening opposite said hinge, a exible connection between said shaft and the free edge of said door, and means for rotating said shaft.

11. In a car of the class described, a. floor provided with a door opening, a door, a pin and slot hinge between said door and a fixed.- part of the ear, a rotatable shaft beneath the floor level and adjacent the edge of said opening opposite said hinge, and a flexible connection between said shaft and said door,

said shaft and said door adjacent its outer edge being roughened.

l2. In a ear of the class -described, a door and slot hinge between said door and a Xed part of the car, a rotatable shaft beneath the floor level and adjacent the edge of said openingopposite said hinge, and a flexible connection between said shaft and said door, said shaft and said door adjacent its outer 13. In a dump car, a loor provided with a door opening, a door mounted adjacent one edge of said opening, means whereby said door is permitted a pivotal movementtoward and from said opening and a sliding movement transversely thereof. a rotatable shaft mounted beneath the floor level and adjacent the opposite edge of said door opening, a downward projection adjacent the free edge of said door, a flexible eonnecrmitting a vpivotal and sliding movement, a

support adjacent the edgeof the door open ing opposite the hinge, and means for movi ing said door pivotally toward said opening and for imparting a sliding movement thereto to bring said door into engagement with said support. y j

15. In a car of the classdescribed having its floor composed substantially wholly of dump doors, a pivotal vand sliding connection between each ofjsaid doors and the can :t1-ame, a rotatable shaft, and means connectf ing said shaft and door, whereby vrotation ot said shaft imparts a pivotal movement Aand a sliding movement to said door to carry the edge over said shaft. y

16. In a car of the class described, a floor provided with door openings, a door for each of said openings, a hinge, said hinge comprising a pin and an inclined slot, a rotatable shaft adjacent the edge of the door opening opposite said hinge, a flexible connection between said shaft and door, and

means for rotating said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribedV my name.

FREDERICK SEABERG.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN A. KIBBY, ANNA L. WAL'roN. 

